FoundHER – Pocket Punch

“I never thought I would enter into entrepreneurship, but when the opportunity to join Pocket Punch came along, I couldn’t say no! This entrepreneurial journey has been the greatest experience of my college career; I have truly found my passion in the work I do for Pocket Punch. The Kendra Scott WEL Institute is going to be an incredible way to engage women in the non-traditional path of entrepreneurship. I wish UT had the course my freshman year, I would have known much sooner that there are many different ways to help change the world!”

– Sydney Marvin ’20

Dana Tao, Margaret McCallum, Ashley Raymond, and Sydney Marvin

We are Pocket Punch, a team of all female students at The University of Texas at Austin with a big dream to bring safety and security to all. The idea for Pocket Punch was born from a class project to create a business idea and pitch it. In coming up with the idea for our project, we thought to ourselves, “What is one thing we would all like to change?”

“The powerful motto here at the University of Texas, What starts here changes the world, is very relevant to the entrepreneurial community at UT. With each new idea, comes the opportunity to improve something in society. Turning an idea into a reality requires a plethora of steps, time, and guidance. I know that The Kendra Scott WEL Institute is just beginning to launch but I can already tell based on past events that it will not only provide but also equip women to become a powerful force within their startup and the startup community in Austin.”

– Ashley Raymond ’20

During the semester prior to this project, a classmate tragically passed away following an on-campus stabbing. A year prior, another student was murdered on campus while walking home alone at night. After discussing, we realized we all wanted to feel safer both on and off-campus. Soon, this class project grew into a real passion for our team. After presenting, we decided to make Pocket Punch a reality and we officially launched in November of 2019!

Since then, we have been working hard to perfect this product. Pocket Punch is a first of its kind five-in-one, self-defense device that includes: knuckles, pepper spray, a flashlight, an auditory alarm, and a safety point. We created something that we would actually want to carry. Our mission stayed the same, to empower individuals by providing them with the necessary tools to protect themselves in any given situation.

Pocket Punch launched Pre-Orders on April 28th, 2020 and now over 350 people will be protected with a Pocket Punch! While pre-orders continue, the next major steps for us include manufacturing this summer, launching an ambassador program, and creating packaging in order to ship out the Pocket Punches this Fall. We are excited to bring #PowerToYourPunch!